Greetings,
We arrived back in the states two weeks ago and headed out for a week at Wesleyan Woods Campground in Vassar, MI with many of our district church families. One of our district church partners came alongside us and arranged the whole week including a wonderful full service RV. It was great and we feel so blessed by their generosity. David and I didn't realize just how "starved" we were for worship. It was like a sponge being exposed to water, we just soaked it up. During our time in Haiti, we had the opportunity to attend church four times and only twice was the service in English. The worship leader led us in rocking the walls and the evangelist was inspiring. He encouraged us to step out of our comfort zones and look at what is keeping us from totally giving ourselves to Jesus Christ. He spoke of how many of us fight the Holy Spirit when we are feeling that urging to take our problem to the altar. So much truth in his words and so grateful he allows himself to be used by our Lord. It was wonderful to attend service twice a day and visit with so many friends. At night wandering around visiting friends and campfires, I had forgotten how wonderful smores are:) Enjoyed being able to put faces to the names of many of our faithful prayer supporters. Thank you so much for stopping us, introducing yourself and all the encouraging words. It means so much!!!
Busy.... trying to get ready for Sierra Leone. Our friends currently serving in Sierra Leone told us of a company that ships to SL every two months out of Indianapolis. They purchase and pack 55 gallon plastic drums, drive them to Indy and they are loaded into a container and away they go. It's much cheaper than the airlines. We purchased several yesterday so let the packing begin! I'm packing bunches of knitting needles, crochet hooks, yarn, patterns and sewing notions in hopes of starting a womens' sewing and knitting group. Got any extra laying around?? Also, anyone have any manuals/information for beginning auto repair mechanics? Badly needed in SL.
All of our "wordly" possessions are stored in the basement of a good friends' business so we are in the process of sorting out what we may need. It's very nostalgic, we only kept personal items like photos, things the kids made throughout school and items that had significant meaning to us (quilts, dolls, etc.) I want to scan our family photos, they seem to be deteriorating slightly and we don't want to lose any. We have been enjoying going through all the pictures. Lots of laughs, tears and great memories revisited. Love the one of Chad, at age four with a ripped t-shirt and shorts standing on a small table growling with green crayon all over his teeth (the Incredible Hulk), Josh and Nick at ages 7 and 9 dressed up in tuxes (like little penguins) for our wedding and lots of photos of our moms.... We miss them so much! I think I'm more than a little nostalgic lately, got a milestone birthday coming up:) Why doesn't my body match the age of my mind?
Picture this, we are still driving my moms' 1992 Toyota Corolla (which starts up EVERY time we come home). Runs like a top, I think the body will fall off before the engine quits. It's small so it's hard to transport much in it. David decided to get a car rack so we could put some tubs and suitcases on the roof to get them from point A to point B. Got to laughing so hard today, driving down the road with two action packers (totes) and a suitcase on the roof and the backseat full to the roof, like the Michigan "hillbillies". Won't be taking any sharp turns, we could tip! So good to laugh and appreciate the little things... we have a car...it runs...and it has AIR!!!
We haven't received a leave date yet but assume it will be sometime in September if all our funding is in. If you would like us to speak and share our work with you or your church, please contact me, we have a few dates open. As you know, it takes lots of prayer and financial support to get us to the field. Thank you in advance for those that have chosen to continue to support us through prayer and finances as we transition to Sierra Leone. Please consider making a financial contribution and/or we would be honoured if you would join us in praying for financial partners to pledge towards our support goal. We are excited about this new direction God is leading us in and can't wait to meet and work with new friends! David is mumbling and talking "tool" talk all the time:)
It's a beautiful summer evening, breeze blowing through the screens, TV on in the background, homemade soup on the stove, food in the refrigerator, clean water available from every faucet and comfy chairs to relax in... why do we feel so unsettled? Everything is going well, kids are fine, weather is great, starting to unwind but something is missing. I miss the vendors everywhere on the sides of the street laughing and talking, the beautiful kids in uniforms walking to school, the insane car and motorcycle drivers...the noises of life. Probably sounds crazy, but it seems so quiet here. We miss Haiti but trust in Gods' new direction for our lives. Thank you for your continued encouragement and prayers.
In Him,
Beth and David
P.S. I don't normally do this but I have a special request. David and I have a great friend who has been fighting a battle with addiction for a number of years. She's in dire need of prayer right now, so I'm asking you to take a moment and pray for her. We can't fix it but we know who can! Thank you so much.
No comments:
Post a Comment